Electric gas-lighter.



PATENTED NOV. 13

G. GIORGI. ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTERl- APPLIOATION FILED SBP'L 1e, 1.905.

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

GIORGIO GIORGI, OF FLORENCE, ITALY.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTER.,

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern;

Beit known that I, GIORGIO GIORGI, a subject of the King of Italy, and aresident oi` Florence, Italy, have invented a new and Improved ElectricGas-Lighter, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXactdescription.

My invention has for its obj ect the opening and closing of gas-taps andthe lighting and extinguishing of the gas by means of an electriccurrent 5 and it comprises an electromagnetic gas-tap, an automaticelectrochemical lighter, and an arrangement of cut-out in the electriccircuit.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis speciiication, in which similar characters oil reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the electrical lighting and extinguishingapparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lower part of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2 with the top or cover removed. Fig. 4 is aplan of the under side of part of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a sectionand a plan of the lighter proper. Fig. 6 is an elevation illustratingthe automatic cut-out at the gas-meter. Fig. '7 is an elevation of thecut-out and meter-tap drawn to a larger scale, and Fig. 8 is a detachedelevation oi the tube of the cutout and its support drawn to a stilllarger scale.

According to my invention I employ an electromagnet having a centralhole or passage u and provided with an armature t, on which are twostriking-pins o A platform c of Ahorseshoe shape is xed iirmly on thetop polar surface of the electromagnet by Ineans of a screw g and hastwo holes d e passing through it to slots or gas-passages underneath theplatform, one of the holes, d, communicating, by means of thegas-passagef,

lwith the gas-supply, and the other hole, e, by

means of the gas-passage g and the small tube g, communicating with achamber o of an intermittent-pilot-light tube i. The outside edge of theplatform is provided with a guide-rail p, and in the center it has ahole through which passes the screw q. Between this screw and the smallguide-rail there is an annular space r sufficient for a ball h to passfrom one hole to the other. The iioor of this ,annular space is notflat, but rises gradually Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led September 16, 1905.

l Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Serial No. 278,796.

The intermittent-pilot-light tube i is made of thin brass, isscrew-threaded at the ends, and receives an ebonite nut t and aninsulating ebonite ring z.

`The electrochemical automatic lighter Z screws onto the top of thepilot-light tube t" and is composed of two small concentric metal tubesa b', connected by a fine platinum wire f, protected by a metal hood h,soldered to the tube a. The hood h has on one side a small bent springl', and the tube b is internally screw-threaded in order to screw ontothe intermittent-pilot-light tube. The steel ball h rests on one or theother of the holes in the platform, so as to close it hermetically.

The electromagnet, the platform, and the ball are inclosed in a glasscylinder m, making a gas-'tight joint with a base 'n and cover m o. Thecover is made in the form of a cage and screws onto the base, which hasa nipple p to screw it Onto the gas-fitting, and a terminal for a wire ginsulated from it and communicating with the wire of the magnetcoil. Onthe cover there is also a projecting screw r for the burner, and a hole8,I`rom which the pilot-light tube L rises. The nut t has a projectingneck which fits into the hole s and by screwing close up against thecover prevents any escape of gas and at the same time insulates theintermittent-pilotli'ght tube fi. The central hole u of theelectromagnet communicates at the bottom with the nipple p, and thuswith the gas-supply, and at the top with the slot or gas-passage f,which terminates in the hole d. If this hole be open the gas will fillthe top part'of the glass chamber and i'low through the gas-passage inthe screw r to the burner. The hole .e is in communication, as alreadystated, by

means of the slot or passage g and the small tube g, with the chamber o,which consists of a small brass tube y, hermetically fixed to the tubeg. In the brass tube there is iiXed another thinner ebonite tube rr,which in its IOO turn embraces another small internally.

screw-threaded brass tube z, in which the pilot-light tube 'i isscrewed. With this arrangement the gas which issues from the hole d whenopen will not only have a free passage to the burner, but will also beable to pass by the hole e if it be open.

I will now describe the electric circuit of` the apparatus. To theterminal g is iixed one of the ends of the magnet-coil, and the otherend is soldered to the small brass tube z, in-

sulated from the coil, as before explained, by means of the ebonite tubefc. The electric current coming through a wire to the terminal g passesinto the coils, round the magnet, through the metal tube z, the metalpilot-light tube fi, and the tube b to the terminal e, passes throughthe platinum wirefl to the terminal rl, and thence to the cage 7L bymeans of the external tube a of the pilotburner. The spring Z/ of thecage serves to make metallic contact with the gallery of an Auer orother burner, (in this case with the necessary modificationa) which. issuitably connected with the screw r. Thus when the current reaches thespring Z it will pass through the burner to the cover o m and thencethrough the upright bars to the base a and to the nipple p. From thispoint it follows the gas-piping to earth. The ebonite ring z, which isabout half-way up the pilot-light tube i, serves to insulate it from thesmall metal disk (firing-back disk) between the Bunsen burner and thegallery in the Auer burner. The current required to actuate theapparatus is very small, an intensity of one ampere with a potential offour volts y being suliicient.

The operation is as follows: Cn closing the circuit by means of anordinary push-button. or switch the armature b is attracted by theelectromagnet, and the ball h, which is over the hole d, (tap closed,)is knocked over the hole e, (the ball must of necessity rest over one ofthe holes, because the ball-race is inclined to them both, as alreadydescribed,) and the gas will then have free passage to the burner. Thilothe current is passing, the armature remains attracted and the ballcannot rest over the hole e to close it, as it is prevented from doingso by the striking-pin on the armature 0.- Thus as long as theelectrical circuit is closed the gas can pass through the hole e, slotg, tube g, chamber o, and intermittent-pilot-light tube i, and itwillthus pass up and surround the platinum wire of the lighter. Thelength and diameter of this wire are such as to cause a strongresistance to the electric current, and the passage of this currentheats the wire to about 300O centigrade. In this condition the metallicplatinum (or a metal of the platinum group) condenses the hydrogen ofthe gas and the oxygen of the air on its surface, (phenomenon ofocclusion.) The two gases thus condensed combine, and the temperatureproduced by the reaction is sufficient to make the wire white-hot, andthus ignite the gas issuing from the pilot-tube t. This takes place sorapidly that on closing the circuit the lighting of the gas issuing fromthe burner is insured in a quarter to half a second of time. lVhen thecurrent ceases, the armature l) returns by gravity to its position, andthe ball rests completely over the hole e and closes the gas-passage,immediately extinguishing the pilot-light, while the burner remainsopen. I/Vhen the ball h is over the hole e, (tap-open,) a closing of thecircuit will cause the armature to knock it round to the other hole d,and immediately on the cessation of the current the ball will seatitself over the hole, and thus cut off the gas from the burner. (Ofcourse during the extinguishing the pilotlight will be lighted for aninstant.) Thus by closing a switch in an electrical circuit I obtain analmost instantaneous alternate opening of the tap and lighting of theburner and a closing of the tap and extinguishing of the burner. I donot limit myself to the exact arrangement shown for the pilot-lamp orfor other parts.

It is necessary to prevent the diilerent switches or push-pieces fromacting when the gas-meter is shut off; otherwise the following objectionmight arise. On pressing one of the buttons or push-knobs that is tosay, on completing the electric circuit-the tap would. open,but the gaswould notbe lighted, being sluit o'l'l at the meter'. By a carelessperson the tap might be left in the above condition, and on subsequentlyopening the meter-cock there would be an escape of gas at the burner ofwhich the push-knob had been tampered with. An arrangement is providedat the gas-meter which will with certainty avoid this danger bypermitting the working of the different push-knobs only when thegas-meter is turned on. In this way the different lamps furnished withelectromagnetic taps become safety-lamps, as it is impossible to leavethe gas escaping even involuntarily provided there are no defects in thepiping. This arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and S. On thecock B of the meter A the metal support Q of the automatic cut-out C isscrewed. This consists of a short ebonite tube closed at the ends. Atthe base it has a terminal G, the screw P of which passes through thebottom of the ebonite tube and enters into the hollow interior, thusforming a rheophore. A metal pin L in contact with the metallic ring ofthe support Q also passes through and terminates in the hollow of theebonite tube near the other rheophore P. In the tube C there is a smallquantity of mercury which when the cut-out is vertical, or nearly so,joins the two points P L, making a single conductor of the terminal Gand the support Q. )When the automatic cut-out is inclined and broughtto a position below the horizontal, the mercury will fall to the otherend of the tube and the metallic contact between the two rheophores PLwill be broken. The supportQis slightly bent, so that when it is fixedto the metercock it places the cut-out C in the position X X, Fig. 7, ifthe gas is on-that is, if the cock be open-and in the position. Y Y,Fig. 7, if the gas is ofl".

The electric circuit is as follows: The nega- IOO IOS

IIO

tive pole M, Fig.v 6, for instance, is brought to the terminal G and thepositive pole N to the push knob or button E and thence to the terminalof the electromagnetic tap H onthe lyre F. If the meter-cock is open,the automatic cut-out G takes the -position XX, Fig. 7, and then if thebutton E, Fig. 6, be pressed the electric circuit will be completed andthe lamp IFI will act. The current will pass from the positive pole N tothe terminal of the electromagnetic tap H. It will then low through theiitting, and passing thence through the gas-piping `will return to thegas-meter and pass through the cock B and support Q, which in theposition X X of the cut-out is in contact with the terminal G, whence itwill return to the cells. If the gasmeter cock be closed and the key Bhorizontal, the automatic cut-out G will take the position Y Y, and thenin the circuit there will be two breaks, one at E and the other at P,and therefore when pressing the buttonEthe electromagnetic tap will notact. It will be obvious that with such a circuit any number of lamps canbe employed.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In an apparatus ofthe character described, the combination of an electromagnettap, aburner coacting therewith, and a cut- `out for preventing the action ofsaid tap when the supply of gas is shut off 2. In an apparatus of thecharacter described, the combination of a supporting member providedwith separate openings for admitting gas to the burner and for admittinggas to the pilot-lamp, a rolling ball adapted to fit into each of saidopenings so as to close the same gas-tight, an electromagnet,

and a movable armature for said magnet, said movable armature being sopositioned that in moving under the impulse of said magnet it rolls saidball from one of said openings to the other.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of asupporting member provided with an opening for admitting gas to theburner and with an opening for admitting gas to the pilot-lamp, saidmember being further provided with a raised portion intermediate of saidopenings, a loose ball adapted to fit each of said openings gas-tight,said ball being further adapted to roll over said raised portion whengiven an impetus for that purpose, an electromagnet, and a movablearmature for said electromagnet, said movable armature bein sopositioned as to strike said ball when t e same is resting within one ofsaid openings.

4. In an apparatus of the character described,- the combination of asupporting member provided with an opening for admitting gas to theburner and a separate opening for admitting gas to the pilot-lamp, aball adapted to close each of said openings air-tight, an electromagnet,a movable armature for said magnet, said armature being adapted to rollsaid ball from one of said openings to the other, and means operablewhile said electromagnet is energized for preventing said ball fromcompletely closing the l opening into which it rolls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two. subscribing witnesses.

GIORGIO GIORGI.

Witnesses: y

GALTAvro MARRAEU GENORA, GIACOMO BOERA PEUVIA.

